HB Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 240,298 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,391 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 1.3% of HB Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $81,831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 0.6% during the second quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 54,021 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $18,396,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 1,518,749 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $437,855,000 after acquiring an additional 94,563 shares in the last quarter. Spinnaker Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Spinnaker Investment Group LLC now owns 11,951 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,445,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Kalos Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $159,000. Finally, Quilter Plc lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 844,299 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $202,480,000 after purchasing an additional 11,563 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, September 15th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $347.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim raised shares of Microsoft from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, July 28th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $340.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Microsoft from $337.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Friday, June 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.03.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Microsoft news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.20, for a total value of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 588,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $198,301,924.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 38,234 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.43, for a total transaction of $12,557,192.62. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 800,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $262,963,391.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 50,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.20, for a total value of $16,860,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 588,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $198,301,924.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 115,049 shares of company stock worth $38,195,619 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Price Performance
Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $313.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.33 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $327.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $317.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Microsoft Co. has a 1-year low of $213.43 and a 1-year high of $366.78.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The software giant reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.55 by $0.14. Microsoft had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 34.15%. The business had revenue of $56.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.23 EPS. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Co. will post 10.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 16th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 15th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 28.07%.
About Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Microsoft
- What is the S&P/TSX Index?
- Nursing Home REITs: The Surprise Heroes of High Yield Investing
- Biggest Stock Losers – Today’s Biggest Percentage Decliners
- Energy Stocks Shine as High Oil Prices Boost Dividend Yields
- Trading Stocks: RSI and Why it’s Useful
- Can Undervalued Healthcare Stocks Add Yield To Your Portfolio?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
